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Blandin Foundation Names 2014 Leadership Program Communities

sprig by Posted in Blandin Foundation, Rural Capacity Building, Vibrant Rural

“I like to think Blandin Foundation is in the hope business,” said Blandin Foundation President Kathy Annette in a recent speech. Quite a few years earlier, Napoleon Bonaparte echoed this thought when he said, “A leader is a dealer in hope.”

That’s what the Blandin Community Leadership Program has been doing for over 25 years – inspiring hopefulness in rural Minnesota by nurturing emerging and established leaders.

Since its inception, the Blandin Community Leadership Program has provided training to upwards of 6,000 leaders in more than 400 Minnesota rural communities.

Leadership, though, cannot be forced. Community members must be ready to lead and welcome the challenge.

“That’s why our leadership programs only go where we’re invited,” said Becky Adams, Leadership Recruitment Coordinator for the Blandin Foundation. “It all starts with your community’s shared aspiration to seed hope by working together to find solutions to challenging problems and maximizing promising opportunities.

We receive many community applications each year. Through the community application, and getting together for conversation, we get a good sense of a community’s readiness for the leadership programs.”

During 2014, Blandin Foundation will host eight leadership programs with rural Minnesota communities and two programs with Minnesota reservation communities.

Recruitment for Blandin Leadership Programs usually begins around six months before the start of the program. If you’re interested in applying, contact Becky Adams, Leadership Recruitment Coordinator.

If you are an alumnus of our Leadership Program and have a story to tell about a community project that resulted from your participation in BCLP/BRCLP, please tell us by clicking the corresponding link below. If you are an alumnus from another community, click here to find your community and tell your story.

Blandin Reservation Community Leadership Program

Leech Lake, Red Lake, White Earth
2014 Retreat Date: March 10-14
Number of BRCLP Alumni: 37

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Mille Lacs, Lower Sioux, Upper Sioux, Prairie Island, Shakopee
2013 Retreat Date: October 20-24
Number of BRCLP Alumni: 57

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Blandin Community Leadership Program 2014 Cohorts

Cook County
2014 Retreat Date: February 24-28
Number of BCLP Alumni: 51

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Frazee, Vergas
2014 Retreat Date: October 6-10
Number of BCLP Alumni: 11

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Grand Rapids
2014 Retreat Date: November 3-7
Number of BCLP Alumni: 199

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Morton, Lower Sioux, Fairfax, Franklin
2014 Retreat Date: March 24-28
Number of BCLP Alumni: 39

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Owatonna
2014 Retreat Date: April 7-11
Number of BCLP Alumni: 70

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Park Rapids
2014 Retreat Date: February 10-14
Number of BCLP Alumni: 35

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Pipestone
2014 Retreat Date: January 27-31
Number of BCLP Alumni: 19

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

Willmar
2014 Retreat Date: September 15-19
Number of BCLP Alumni: 70

View location | Tell your community’s leadership story

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